


Lieutenant's Bed

by The_Upholsterer



Series: Captain's Chair [3]
Category: Babylon 5 & Related Fandoms, Crusade
Genre: Asian Character(s), Asian-American Character, Banter, Barebacking, Confessions, Dreams and Nightmares, First Time, First Time Topping, Gay Sex, Hand Jobs, Kissing, M/M, Military Science Fiction, Nipple Play, Porn with Feelings, Science Fiction, Sleeping Together, Slow Romance, Telepathy, Undressing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-10-05 11:21:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20488070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Upholsterer/pseuds/The_Upholsterer
Summary: Lieutenant Matheson seems to have forgotten about their intense encounter on the bridge, but Captain Gideon can't forget.  After another disappointing week in the search for the Cure, Gideon and Matheson end up sleep-deprived and alone in Matheson's quarters.  When Matheson's telepathic shields fail, what will Gideon see?  Then how will Gideon get Matheson to take the next step?





	1. Dashing Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A failure in the search for the Cure leads Gideon and Matheson past the point of exhaustion - and sleeping in the same bed.

**Part 1 - Dashing Hope**

It was three months after that intense encounter on the empty bridge. Neither of them had spoken about it after their shuttle had landed and they had been met by Dr. Chambers and Max Eilerson, both complaining loudly. By the time Gideon was done dealing with them, Matheson had slipped away and Gideon didn't see him until the engine upgrades were done and the Excalibur was back on its mission.

Since then, Gideon had noted a few comments from Matheson that could be taken to have a double meaning, if you knew what they had shared. That included an innocent-sounding statement from Lt. Matheson on a shift change thanking the Captain for giving him the Captain's Chair. It also might have been Gideon's imagination, but he swore that Matheson cracked a smile last time that they had needed to fire the main guns, and it had certainly not been a laughing situation. Gideon had a hard time looking at a particular navigational console to his left without seeing Matheson propped against it, himself stark naked and straddling Matheson's muscular body in its black uniform. 

The shuttle ride itself was a memory that Gideon treasured. It had been a quiet ride, in comparison to the first intense encounter on the bridge. They had leisurely explored each other's bodies with fingers and lips, enjoying the warmth of each other and freedom to touch as they wanted. Gideon had practiced his cock-sucking technique, with Matheson both as a teacher and willing test subject. But for the last ten minutes of their approach, just before they needed to get dressed to meet landing control, they had just lay and held each other tightly, no words exchanged. 

Since then, the Excalibur had been by Babylon 5 and Gideon had spent time in Captain Lochley's company, both in and out of bed. He told himself that it had been satisfactory. Mr. Jones had visited Matheson, with no obvious repercussions. Gideon had no idea how Matheson hid the encounter from his telepath overseer, but he was relieved. Perhaps Matheson was stronger than they thought. Or perhaps Matheson hadn't cared enough about the encounter that it came to the attention of Mr. Jones. 

It was that last thought that both depressed and angered Gideon, when he allowed himself to dwell on it. Life on Excalibur continued, the Search continued, as if nothing had happened at all. Matheson was completely Lt. Matheson again, his Executive Officer and close friend. But Matheson as lover seemed preposterous when Gideon looked at the strong, efficient Lieutenant at his side. He must have dreamed that he had ever shaped those lips under his own, that he had ever looked up from between those thighs to see that angular face lost in ecstasy. 

Sometimes, on the darkest nights alone in his cabin, Gideon would rage against Matheson for ever coming to the bridge that day, for ever showing him the unguessed tenderness and passion that hid behind that ever-neat uniform. It had been so much better, Gideon would tell himself, if he had never known. There was no one else on the Excalibur whom he connected with on the same instinctive level, and even Elizabeth Lochley was a shadow of the few moments of passion that he and Matheson had shared. 

Most of the time, however, Gideon soldiered on, focusing on the mission. Then he could just shut the memory out of his conscious mind. It was just a fantasy that he would relive on sleepless nights, when he'd remember how it felt like to have a lover who made him feel amazing in both body and soul. 

* * * 

It had been a grueling week. At the end of their sanity, Gideon and Matheson were in Matheson's quarters, working their way through an endless mound of paperwork 

The week had started when the Rangers had commed them in a very promising sounding tip. Supposedly, there was a small group of humans that had somehow escaped the quarantine of Earth - four men and two women that had hidden for days in an EarthForce shuttle and then escaped when that shuttle landed on Mars. The Rangers on Mars heard about the rogue humans before Earth did and managed to keep it quiet. They kept it quiet because, before they could be captured, those six humans had commandeered a small hyper-capable ship and blasted off Mars to places unknown. The Rangers followed as fast as they could, hoping to get the humans back to Earth before a general panic could start. 

Eventually, the Rangers tracked the humans to a small planet on the outer Rim called Redsin. There, to the Rangers astonishment, they captured one of the humans ... and found him completely free of the plague. The Excalibur had been immediately contacted, and while the Rangers tried to locate the other five humans, the Excalibur was streaking across the stars to meet them. 

Meanwhile, the crew of the Excalibur was trying to dig up everything they could on Redsin. Little was known about the planet. It was small, about the size of Mercury, and orbited a binary star. An elliptical orbit gave Redsin extreme temperature variations, but oxygen-breathing humanoids could still survive there, in shelters dug into the planet's surface. There was nothing geographically to suggest a source of the cure. The population of Redsin was made up of asteroid miners, Rim drifters, and those hiding from the law of any government. Consequently, trying to find anyone who would reveal the location of the missing humans was difficult, to put it mildly. But the humans hadn't gone there just because it was a good hiding place, there were better and closer hiding places. The trail the Rangers had tracked had gone straight from Mars to Redsin. So every scrap of information that had ever been collected on Redsin had to be gone through with a microscope, trying to find any clue how the humans might have found a cure there. 

And when they had finally reached Redsin and tested the one captured human themselves, all hopes plummeted. They found out the human did have the plague after all. The Rangers' testing equipment had missed it, as the elusive virus had mutated into yet another form. As to why the humans set a direct course for Redsin, they wouldn't divulge, but it probably involved a long-term shady partnership that one of the humans had with a group of Redsin smugglers. 

Then only remained the arduous task of locating the remaining five humans then trying to test the entire population of this fractious planet for any signs that the plague had spread. By the time that the humans were all in custody, and the planet declared free of the Drakh plague, the entire command staff and medical team of the Excalibur had been awake for at least 48 hours straight, with only a few hours sleep over the days before that. Dr. Chambers had ordered everyone to sleep, threatening to drug anyone who wasn't in their quarters within five minutes. 

Matheson and Gideon had escaped from Dr. Chambers with armfuls of paperwork, professing to each other that they wouldn't be able to sleep with the reports hanging over their heads. They had ended up in Matheson's quarters, drinking yet more cups of nasty coffee and staring bleary-eyed at their computer screens. 

Slouching on a chair in Matheson's living area, Gideon rubbed his cheek, not surprised to find that he had forgotten to shave for the last few days. He was afraid to look in the mirror and see the hideous creature he had turned into. "I don't know why the Drakh bothered to infect Earth with a virus," he said, "they could have just killed us with paperwork. But they weren't that cruel." 

When he got no reply, he looked up from his monitor to see that Matheson was asleep on the couch across from him. The Lieutenant was sleeping with his head tilted to the side and his mouth slightly open. A sound very close to a snore issued from that direction. 

Gideon smiled and shook his head, "Good for you. I'll just finish up here." He turned back to his work, but found his eyes wandering back to his First Officer. He looked so young sprawled across the couch like that, his legs propped up on the low table, his computer in his lap. His face was open, relaxed, and Gideon remembered the Minbari custom that said that a person's true face emerged when they were asleep. 

"You'd be much more comfortable in bed," Gideon told him, covering a yawn. "You'll wake up with a terrible neck ache if you sleep like that." 

Matheson didn't even stir. 

"Matheson?" Gideon set aside his computer and moved to Matheson's side. "Lieutenant?" 

Nothing. 

Gideon gently touched his arm. His fingers brushed the bare skin and he jerked back from a sudden jumble of pictures and noise. Matheson must be so tired that his usual strong mental barriers were down. "Sometimes you forget he's a telepath," Gideon laughed to himself, "Not smart." Gideon reached back out and gripped Matheson's cloth-covered shoulder, gently shaking him. With a few more shakes, Gideon decided that Matheson wasn't going to wake for anything short of a fusion core explosion. 

Eyeing the shorter man, Gideon decided that he could carry him to his bed. He crouched down and slid one arm under his thighs and the other under his back. With a grunt, he lifted and settled Matheson against his chest. His compact muscular body was heavier than Gideon expected. For a brief moment, Gideon just stood there, looking down at his sleeping Lieutenant. 

Shaking his head to clear it, he shifted Matheson's weight again, and started to walk towards Matheson's sleeping chamber. As he turned sideways to get through the doorway, Matheson's arm slid over so his hand touched Gideon's neck. A jumble of sounds and images flooded into Gideon's head, momentarily blinding him. He stood there, blinking, until his overloaded brain could make some sense of what had suddenly invaded it. Eventually, Gideon's vision cleared and he figured out that what he was experiencing was Matheson's unconscious mind. 

No wonder the muddle made no sense, he supposed that no one's unconsciousness did. Gideon blinked again, and could see Matheson's bed, neatly made, of course. He stumbled over to the bed and lay Matheson down on top of the blankets. As he set Matheson down, the skin to skin contact was lost and Gideon found himself alone again in his own head. He rubbed his rough cheek and stared down at Matheson, feeling somehow lonelier than he ever had before. 

Shaking his head, he attributed it to lack of sleep. He found Matheson's pillow and tucked it under his head. With difficulty, always avoiding touching Matheson's skin, he pulled off Matheson's boots and removed the earpiece from his ear. He yanked the blanket free of the mattress on the other side and wrapped it over him. He stood over him for a long unfocussed moment, staring at Matheson's relaxed face. 

Unable to summon the energy to resist, Gideon reached down and ran his finger along one of Matheson's cheekbones. The riot of color and noise erupted again into his head, and he began to pick out single images and feelings. Gideon knew it was an invasion of privacy, that he was taking advantage of Matheson's exhaustion, but he'd never experienced anything like that connection. 

Just a few more seconds. 

In images sent from Matheson's mind, Gideon saw the Excalibur exploding, a double sunrise, a child crying in an empty room, and Gideon himself dressed in the cowboy hat and clothes he had worn down to the Technomage's planet with Galen. Intrigued, he forgot his pledge to just stay a few seconds, and he saw Matheson captured and screaming in a Drakh torture machine, the Earth dying before his eyes. 

"Shh..." Gideon said, stroking his cheek. "You're safe. I won't let anything happen to you." Matheson murmured in his sleep and reached up to grip Gideon's wrist, holding Gideon's hand against his cheek. 

"Umm, Lieutenant?" Gideon tried to pull away and Matheson's hold tightened. Matheson's dream changed to flying a skimmer over a desert, laughing and shouting out to someone out of sight. 

"Lieutenant?" Gideon said again, and found himself swaying on his feet with that last effort of carrying Matheson into here. Matheson's grip tightened to almost a painful level. 

"Alright," Gideon said soothingly. "I won't leave. Just let me ..." He cut himself off with a huge yawn. 

Gideon kicked off his shoes and removed his communicator. Carefully turning his hand in Matheson's viselike grip, Gideon clambered around the foot of the bed and climbed into bed beside him. His hand was still pressed to Matheson's cheek, his arm over Matheson's shoulder. He settled himself against Matheson's back as comfortably as he could, the blanket bunched between them. He saw no more dreams as he immediately dropped into oblivion. 

When Gideon awoke, it was two hours later, and his shoulder was killing him. Matheson was still asleep, his mind at an indistinct hum that Gideon guessed must be deep sleep. Gideon tried twisting his hand away, but Matheson still held him in an iron grip. 

"Matheson," Gideon pleaded, "Let go." Not even a twitch for an answer. He'd have to tease his First Officer later about sleeping like a stone carving. 

No, Gideon corrected himself, Matheson was much too warm to be made of stone. Gideon could feel the slow rise and fall of Matheson's chest through the blanket. 

"Now what?" he asked, expecting and receiving no reply. Gideon turned and slid his knees off the far side of the bed. With great effort, he managed one-handed to drag the blanket with the Lieutenant laying on it to the other side of the bed. Now Gideon was stuck in between the bed and the wall. Grumbling to himself, he proceeded to crawl around the head of the bed, his knees narrowly missing Matheson's hair. Now, he was on the other side of the bed, with his numb left arm and hand still connected to Matheson's face. 

He placed his other hand on Matheson's smooth cheek. "Should have known he'd found time to shave." He wormed his right hand under his left, keeping the firm connection with Matheson's skin. He pulled his left hand out and shook it until it painfully returned to life. 

Crawling into bed beside Matheson, he turned until he lay on his back with his right arm crossed over his chest and right hand touching Matheson. He looked at his First Officer for a moment, his face youthful and innocent. "But we know you aren't as innocent as you look, eh?" Yawning hugely, he scooted against Matheson's body, getting himself into the most comfortable position possible with such an awkward pose, and fell back to sleep, the low illicit hum of Matheson's mind within his.  
  



	2. Fearing Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John is forced to admit to what happened before - both what Gideon knew about and what he didn't.

**Part 2 - Fearing Memory**

Gideon came gradually awake after a long time. He felt foggy and indistinct, his mouth full of cotton. He tried to determine where he was, but couldn't seem to focus, since there seemed to be something going on inside his head. He decided to count limbs, and yes his were all still attached. His ear seemed to be up against someone's shoulder, someone's arm under his neck. Lochley? Why was he sleeping at Babylon 5? 

There was an arm that didn't belong to him draped over his rib cage, with a hand that had somehow pulled up his shirt and slithered its way underneath to rest against his bare skin. Gideon was on his right side, the whole length of his backside pressed up against someone. Someone warm and snoring gently. And definitely male. Gideon's eyes focused on the arms around him and he recognized the uniform. 

"Damn," he swore softly to himself, abruptly remembering Redsin, the plague, and carrying Matheson to bed. Gideon knew he should move immediately before Matheson woke, but he was so comfortable here, in Matheson's arms, with Matheson's mind in his. 

Gideon had almost drifted back off to sleep, when Matheson murmured and thrust his hips up against Gideon's ass. Gideon could feel Matheson's erection press against him. 

Matheson's mind cycled over into dreaming. Gideon couldn't make it out clearly - the images were too quick, too disjointed, and muddled by bursts of emotion - but he saw himself and Matheson having sex on the bridge once more. So at least Matheson's unconscious mind hadn't forgotten. 

Gideon cuddled back against Matheson and smiled, reliving the memories himself, knowing that Matheson's mind would pick them up. He suddenly didn't feel as tired, and more than a little aroused. He would stay this way until Matheson woke up, and then could claim that he had been asleep the whole time. 

Gideon had indeed dozed off when he felt an abrupt shifting of Matheson's presence in his mind. First there was a confused questioning, then a panicked horror, and then a wall came crashing down, sundering Gideon completely from Matheson. Gideon reached out with his own feeble mind, trying to bring him back. The warm hand jerked out from underneath Gideon's shirt. 

"Captain?" 

Gideon ignored him and pretended to be asleep. 

"Captain?" Matheson said again, "I ... know that you're awake." 

"What is it, Lieutenant?" Gideon murmured against Matheson's arm. 

"I think you should move, Captain," Matheson said, his voice unreadable. 

"Why?" 

"Because ... because ..." Matheson stumbled, "you're in my bed." 

"And a lovely bed it is too," Gideon replied. "Where did you get these soft sheets?" 

"Captain, someone will find you here." 

"No, they won't. Tell them I slept on the couch." 

"You aren't on the couch, sir." 

"Oh, Lieutenant," Gideon said with exasperation, "must you be so literal? The bed is much more comfortable." Gideon turned onto his back and looked up at the withdrawn face of his First Officer. Matheson looked so pale and dismayed that Gideon reached up a hand to touch him on the cheek. Matheson flinched away. 

"I'm so sorry, Captain," Matheson said, looking away, his voice ragged, "I woke up and I was...." Matheson closed his eyes, his face a mask of despair. "I am so sorry. You will have my resignation immediately." 

"Lieutenant, if I can get a word in here, what the Hell are you talking about?" 

"I was in your mind, sir," Matheson said again, his voice leaden. "My shields completely failed and I was deep in your mind when I woke. I can only imagine what I saw unconsciously, your privacy… I thought I was stronger." 

"Lieutenant Matheson!" Gideon said, gripping Matheson's chin, "Look at me!" 

"Yes, sir," Matheson opened his eyes, which were bright with unshed tears. 

"If anyone is to blame, it's me." Gideon said, talking over Matheson when he tried to interrupt. "I kept skin contact when you were asleep. You don't have as much control when you're sleeping, right? And you're past exhausted, we all are." 

"I should not have been sleeping." 

"Bullshit, Lieutenant. You hadn't slept for most of a week and neither had I. The body breaks down eventually. The mind is only so strong." 

"I should have been stronger." 

"Dammit, Matheson, if you try to give me your resignation over a stupid thing like this, I'm going to boot you out an airlock." 

Matheson looked at him wordlessly. 

"But I would much rather be doing this." Gideon recklessly reached over and grabbed Matheson's face, pressing his lips to Matheson's. He concentrated as hard as he could on the memories of their frenzied sex on the bridge. 

Matheson broke away and stared at him, the tears leaking out of his eyes. "I thought it was a dream." 

"Then we were sharing a very erotic dream," Gideon said, echoing his own words from that other time and place. 

Matheson looked at him, dazed. "I thought it was a dream, I convinced myself so much that it was a dream that Mr. Jones just glossed over it. How did I do that?" 

"I don't know, but I'm glad you did." 

"Oh…" The last of the color drained from Matheson's face. "I scanned you, on the bridge and in the shuttle. Three times. Because I thought it was a dream." Matheson began to shake. "I broke all the rules. I lied to myself and broke all the rules. I need to turn myself in immediately." 

"Stop it!" Gideon snapped. "Let me think. You did what?" 

"I scanned you, sir. Twice on the bridge, once in the shuttle." 

"How deep?" 

"Surface mind or a little bit deeper." 

"Why?" 

"Because I thought it was a dream." 

"I know, but why scan me?" 

Matheson looked at him in surprise. "Because I wanted to know how you were feeling. If you were liking it." 

Gideon relaxed and chuckled. "You couldn't tell by my loud moans?" 

Matheson's cheeks flushed. "I wanted to know what you were thinking of me." 

"And you found out that I was thinking you felt amazing." 

He flushed more deeply. "Yes, sir." 

"And that I was glad I decided to kiss you." 

"If I recall correctly," Matheson said, his cheeks pink and his eyes stunned, "It was me who made the first move." 

"I think it was a mutual decision," Gideon grinned. "And you sure as hell didn't force yourself on me." 

"Captain, I would never ..." 

Gideon rolled his eyes and grabbed Matheson's chin, silencing him with his lips. 

Matheson kissed him back, tentatively at first, then with more enthusiasm. Gideon flicked the tip of his tongue out, exploring the faintly familiar seam of Matheson's lips. Matheson's tongue joined his, caressing his tongue and lips. 

Abruptly, Matheson broke away. "Captain, we shouldn't --" 

"Lieutenant, if I hear one more thing out of your mouth that involves 'should' or 'the rules', I'm going to kick you from here to Mars. If you want me to go, I will get up and go without any further repercussions and we will never talk about this again. But I'm hoping ... I'm hoping that you want me to stay. Just say the word, stay or go." 

Matheson looked at him for a long moment and Gideon sighed in resignation. He moved away from him, crawling out of the bed. 

"Stay," Matheson whispered. 

Gideon froze. "What did you say?" 


	3. Keeping Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matheson asks Gideon to stay - and play,

**Part 3 - Keeping Close**

Matheson swallowed. "Stay." 

Gideon jumped back on the bed, straddling Matheson's hips with his knees. "What did you say?" 

"Stay," Matheson smiled. "Stay, stay, stay." 

"God, I love that word." 

Gideon dropped his head to Matheson's and proceeded to kiss him much more thoroughly. Matheson's hands reached around the back of his head and pulled him closer. 

Leaning down on his elbows and gripping Matheson's face between his hands, Gideon's tongue flickered over Matheson's lips. Just touching Matheson felt so good that he wanted to devour him where he lay, but he made himself go slowly. There was no rush this time. 

Gideon's lips left Matheson's and explored his sculpted face. He kissed his eyelids and his lips wandered across his eyebrows and down to his ear. 

"Computer, voice command." Matheson said loudly, his voice only slightly unsteady, "Quarters privacy mode." The computer beeped twice, acknowledging the command. Matheson's quarters were now locked down tight. No one would be able to walk in now, without invoking high level security codes, and giving them a lot of warning. Gideon nipped lightly at his ear. "Computer, voice command." Matheson said again, "Communication mode for Lieutenant Johnathon Matheson, Level One Emergency contact only." Two beeps. 

"You think of everything, don't you," Gideon grumbled into his ear, "I'm going to have to see if I can distract you a bit more." He lifted his head, grinning down at Matheson. "Computer, voice command. Communication mode for Captain Matthew Gideon, contact me only if Hell freezes over." The computer waited. "Okay, okay, contact me only for Level One Emergencies." Two beeps and they were shut off from the outside world. 

Gideon stayed where he was, on all fours straddling Matheson's body, and looked down at him. His First Officer was still fully dressed, as Gideon was, the black uniform emphasizing his strong shoulders and narrow hips. 

Uncertainly Matheson reached up to touch Gideon's cheek. "Captain?" 

"Lieutenant," Gideon closed his eyes and rubbed his face against Matheson's hand. "Do something for me." 

"Yes, sir?" 

"When it's just you and me, call me Matthew -- No, no, call me Matt. Whenever you call me Matthew, it means I'm in trouble." 

"Trouble?" Matheson's lips quirked. "Not you." 

"Not with you around to protect me." 

"Rather like trying to protect the Excalibur with a shuttlecraft." Matheson ran his fingers across Gideon's jaw and down his nose. 

"I think you make an adorable shuttle." Gideon captured Matheson's wandering fingers gently between his teeth. 

"And I think you make an exceptional Excalibur." Matheson drew his fingers from Gideon's mouth and hooked them in the collar of his uniform. "Now, Matt, what are you doing way up there?" 

"Coming down there," Gideon replied and suited action to words, swooping down to kiss Matheson. 

Gideon's lips traveled around Matheson's lovely full mouth, kissing him on the edge of the lips and darting away when Matheson tried to turn his head to catch him. He left Matheson's lips for a moment, covering the smooth skin underneath his throat. Then he returned to his lips, teasing him with a feather light touch and pulling away when Matheson lifted his head to make the kiss firm. 

"You like being on top, don't you?" Matheson said with mock disgust. 

"Of course." 

"Of course," Matheson repeated, and grabbed Gideon's shoulders pulling him down so that Gideon lay fully stretched out on top of him. Matheson promptly wrapped his arms around his shoulders and legs around his legs, then he pressed his mouth firmly to Gideon's. Gideon laughed against Matheson's mouth then flicked his tongue out to trace Matheson's lips and tease his lips open. Matheson opened his lips and let the tip of Gideon's tongue in, sucking on it. 

Matheson's fingers ran through Gideon's soft hair, thoroughly messing up the smooth layers. "I've always wanted to do that", he murmured against Gideon's lips. 

His tongue darted into Gideon's mouth, swirling around his tongue. Gideon's lips and mouth replied, wordlessly demonstrating all of his pent-up desires. Matheson responded with no less fervor. 

Finally, they broke apart, gasping for breath. Unimportant things like breathing seemed to get forgotten whenever their lips joined. 

Catching his breath, Gideon rubbed his nose and cheek against Matheson's cheek. 

"Someone needs to shave," Matheson teased. 

"Some people have been busy, unlike others who have had time for trivial matters." 

"Like kissing their Captain?" 

"I said trivial," Gideon growled. 

Matheson grinned and detached his legs from around Gideon's. Before Gideon could comment, Matheson got his left leg underneath him, pushed with his leg and turned with his hips and rolled Gideon over onto his back, with Matheson on top of him. 

"Hey," Gideon laughingly protested, "Who's the Captain here?" 

Matheson lips roved over Gideon's face. "You are, sir," Matheson said, punctuating each word with a touch of his lips, "Brave and dangerous Captain Matthew Gideon." 

"Brave and dangerous?" Gideon repeated, a little surprised, "I would have expected rash and foolhardy." 

"That too," Matheson's lips traveled down to his neck, his warm breath on his skin. 

"Figures." Gideon reached up and started to unfasten Matheson's collar. "Why are you still in uniform?" 

Matheson immediately sat up straight, pulling his collar from Gideon's fingers. He straddling Gideon's hips and smiled down at him. "No, Matt," he said, and a shiver went through Gideon at the verbal caress Matheson made of his name, "I haven't gotten to undress you yet." 

"And why should a Captain waste his energy on a task that a Lieutenant can do?" 

"Indeed." 

Matheson pulled the zipper of Gideon's jacket down, running his hands underneath it. He tugged at the jacket and Gideon obediently sat up so that Matheson could pull it off his shoulders. Matheson tossed the jacket over the back of a chair. Gideon lay back down and Matheson slid his hands underneath his red shirt. Gideon's skin tingled at each point of contact, though it remained only physical. Matheson pushed his shirt up higher and Gideon sat up again. 

"Wait," Gideon said, grabbing the shirt before Matheson could pull it over his head. He was remembering how on the bridge he trapped Matheson inside his own shirt when Matheson tried to remove it. "I'll get it." He grabbed the shirt, and with one swift move jerked it over his head and threw it across the room. 

Matheson laughed, the vibration of his laughter sending interesting tremors through Gideon's body. 

"Now pants?" Gideon asked, "Do you want me to stand up?" 

"No need." Matheson stood up on his knees so that his weight was no longer on Gideon. He unbuckled Gideon's belt and unfastened his pants, then pushed his hands into his fly, his palms brushing Gideon's already firm cock. Gideon made a soft incoherent sound. 

Matheson slid his hands under Gideon's ass and lifted it slightly, pulling the pants over and down his legs. Matheson then moved his right knee to the other side, then straddled Gideon's torso facing away from his head. Gideon ran his hands down the smooth fabric covering Matheson's back and ass. Matheson removed Gideon's socks and pulled his pants the remainder of the way off and tossed them over top of Gideon's jacket. 

"Damn, Lieutenant, do you do everything well?" Gideon complained. 

"I don't know, Captain, you'll have to tell me." Matheson twisted back around on him, sitting now just below Gideon's hips, his legs pressed up against the black underwear that was all that remained. 

Matheson leaned down against Gideon, his lips on his and his uniform rubbing his bare skin in the way Gideon found so intoxicating. Matheson gave him only a quick kiss before moving away down his neck. He tickled his Adam's Apple and then traced a line down his chest. Gideon stroked Matheson's thick, soft hair. 

Matheson's lips circled around and around Gideon's left nipple until finally reaching the nipple and sucking on it. His right hand reached out and rubbed his palm against the other nipple. Matheson teased the nipple with his tongue, then bared his teeth and bit down gently. Gideon arched his back, clenching his teeth, and digging his fingers into Matheson's hair. Matheson proceeded to give the other nipple the same treatment until he had Gideon quivering beneath him. No one had ever played with Gideon's nipples the way he wanted. 

Leaving Gideon gasping and his nipples throbbing, Matheson worked his way lower, running his fingers across Gideon's stomach and dipping to the waistband of his black underwear. "I always thought that your underwear would be red," Matheson mused, running his fingers across the fabric that bulged over Gideon's straining cock. "To match your red Captain's shirt." 

"Who the hell would ever care?" Gideon said through clenched teeth. 

"Maybe I'll have to get you a pair," Matheson pressed his face against the black fabric and nuzzled the firm cock. He rubbed his cheek against the fabric, creating an exquisite double sensation of his warm cheek through the soft fabric. 

Gideon shuddered. "I thought I should warn you, Lieutenant," he said, through his locked jaw, "That you have about ten more seconds until I'm going to throw you on the floor and rip that uniform off of you." 

Matheson lifted his head and smiled at him, his eyes dancing, "Yes, Captain. Perhaps I should remove my uniform in a more... tidy manner right now." 

"Good idea." Gideon watched in appreciation as Matheson removed his jacket and black shirt, then unbuckled his belt and pulled his pants down, exposing his black underwear and strong, narrow hips. As he moved to lay his clothes over another chair, Gideon was rewarded with a view of his tight ass. 

Matheson turned back to him, and his lips quirked, as if he knew that Gideon had been admiring his ass. "I'm afraid I'm not very good at the striptease." 

"Lieutenant, if you tease me anymore, I'm going to lose it right now." 

"That would be unfortunate," Matheson said, coming back to the bed and straddling Gideon once more. "As there are so much more pleasant ways to go." He slid his lean, muscular body up along Gideon's, rubbing his cock against Gideon's cock through the double layer of soft fabric. Their lips joined for a long, lingering kiss. 


	4. Working Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gideon is a fast learner - and soon Matheson is the happy recipient.

**Part 4 – Working Together**

As they separated, Gideon absently stroked Matheson's hair. "I've been thinking, and you'll laugh at me—" 

"Never," Matheson said firmly, his face serious. 

"I know." Gideon ran his finger down Matheson's cheekbone. "But no need to be so grave, I've just been thinking that there must ... Well, what you and I did together that day ... It's kind of been a your-turn then my-turn ... and I'm sure that there are ways that we can both ... at the same time ..." 

"Yes," Matheson said, smiling down at him. "There are a number of possibilities." 

"Like ..." 

"It would be easier if I showed you." He touched Gideon's forehead, "May I?" 

"Yes, please." 

Matheson narrowed his eyes and a series of pictures appeared before Gideon's eyes. 

"Whoa," Gideon said, impressed. "Going to have to try those." 

"One at a time," Matheson laughed. 

"What's the fun in that?" 

"We shall see," Matheson replied. "If you want to... Choose one. Or I'd be quite happy doing a hundred times more what we did on the bridge and in the shuttle." 

"You want to kill me, Lieutenant?" 

"No, sir,m, " Matheson grinned. 

Gideon lifted an eyebrow, "I'm not sure I trust that smile." 

Matheson laughed again, the sound doing warm things to Gideon's chest. "Your choice, Matt." 

"You keep saying my name like that, and I'll gladly follow you to Hell." 

"I don't think Hell is on the flightpath today." 

"That's a relief." 

Matheson placed his lips against Gideon's ear. "Chooose." 

"Umm, the second one?" 

"This one?" He showed him the picture again. 

"Is that okay?" 

"More than okay." Matheson placed a kiss on Gideon's nose and rolled off of him, getting off the bed. 

"Where are you going?" Gideon asked plaintively, reaching out to grab him. 

Matheson evaded his grasp and walked across the bedroom to the bathroom. "Just going to make sure I'm clean, and get some lubricant." 

"Oh," Gideon said, distracted by the sight of his First Officer walked around in just his underwear. Gideon noticed that he himself still had his underwear on and stripped them off, tossing them onto Matheson's desk. 

Matheson came out of the bathroom a moment later, warming a bottle of clear liquid between his hands. He lay next to Gideon's side and ran his hand down Gideon's bare chest, saying softly, "I’ve fantasized about this. I couldn’t help it. But that’s all that I ever thought it would be. I couldn’t believe you’d ever want to touch me like this, be with me. That’s why it was easy for me to believe that the other time was a dream.” 

"I want you, right here, with me." Gideon grabbed Matheson and kissed him hard. 

"It's alright, Matt," Matheson said, breaking the kiss and looking into his eyes. "I'm not going anywhere." 

"I know," Gideon said fiercely and rolled Matheson on his back and climbed on top of him. "Because I'm not going to let you." 

"As you say," Matheson said, "I would never argue with a naked EarthForce Captain." 

"Good. Now I just need a certain EarthForce Lieutenant to get naked." Gideon ran his fingers under Matheson's waistband, pulling the fabric down so that was wrapped around Matheson's engorged cock. Matheson wiggled underneath him, and he let Matheson reach down and scoot out of his underwear. Gideon grabbed the underwear from him and threw it into the next room. 

"Mmmm," Gideon said, leaning over and kissing Matheson on the lips, deliberately rubbing their bare cocks together. 

Gideon shifted and sowed kisses down Matheson's chest and stomach, placing a long lingering kiss on the head of his bobbing cock. Matheson moaned softly. 

"Now turn over," Gideon said, moving off of him. "Before I forget myself." 

Matheson rolled over, resting his chin on his hands, and exposing to Gideon's eyes the sweet expanse of his back, ass and legs. It was so different than a woman but extremely appealing. Gideon ran his hands slowly down Matheson's back, over his tight ass, and down his sinewy thighs and calves. His hands returned to Matheson's ass, kneading the cheeks and running his fingers down the crack between. 

"Now," Gideon said, knowing his voice was showing his anticipation. "I think you need to move down a little." 

Obediently, Matheson slid downwards and off the end of the bed. He positioned himself so that his knees were on the floor, his ass upwards, his arms and shoulders on the bed. His torso was in the air in between, his erect cock pointing towards the bed. 

Gideon licked his lips in anticipation and slid off the side of the bed. He’d never cared about a woman’s asshole, as they had more interesting holes to put his cock in. But he found himself trembling in excitement at the idea of breaching Matheson’s asshole. Maybe it was because the images that Matheson had telepathically shown him had been heavy with arousal. 

Gideon ran his hands down Matheson’s back and ass. He leaned over and his lips followed when his hands had been, lips and tongue running down Matheson's spine and kissing each ass cheek. The stubble on his cheeks lightly rubbed Matheson's ass. Feeling brave, his tongue then explored the crack between Matheson’s ass cheeks, circling and flicking his enticing asshole. Underneath him, Matheson moaned helplessly. Gideon would have never imagined such an erotic sound coming from his strait-laced Lieutenant. 

Gideon continued to the sensitive skin between Matheson’s asshole and balls and Matheson moaned again, a sound that went straight from Gideon's ears to his cock. 

Straightening up, he rubbed Matheson's ass cheeks with the head of his hard cock. Running it down the ass crack, Gideon almost lost it and had to pull away, taking a ragged breath. 

He took the bottle of lubricant and squirted some on his fingers. He spread the slippery gel liberally over his cock and reached down to press a lubricated finger gently into Matheson's asshole. Inside, it was tight and Gideon could feel muscles closing convulsively over his finger. "Lieutenant, are you sure you want this?" 

"Yessss," Matheson whispered hoarsely. 

Gideon pressed a second lubricated finger in and then a third. Matheson pushed back against his hand. Gideon pulled his fingers out and positioned his cock at the waiting asshole. 

He pushed his cock in gently, slowly, bit by bit, until his entire cock was inside and his balls rested against Matheson's ass. It felt… it felt better than anything he could remember in his life. His cock was in heaven. 

"Oh God," Matheson groaned, the first time ever that Gideon had heard him swear. 

Gideon tried to catch his breath. Matheson had done this before with other men and Gideon suddenly wanted this to be as intense for Matheson as it was for him. He took another one of the telepathic images that Matheson had shared and he figured out what it meant for this position. 

His body was urging him to just pump his cock inside Matheson’s hot ass, but Gideon was determined to jump to the next level. He braced one hand on Matheson’s back and leaned over, gripping Matheson's cock in his other hand. Matheson made a surprised sound. Gideon’s lubricated hand slid easily over Matheson's rock-hard cock. He stroked Matheson a few times, with the smooth firm strokes he used on his own cock when he was alone. Then he slowly moved his own cock in and out of Matheson's ass. Matheson's ass was so tight and it was almost enough to instantly send Gideon over the edge, but he gritted his teeth and settled his body down. 

It took some concentration, but Gideon quickly mastered the double movement, stroking downwards on Matheson's cock as he plunged his own cock into Matheson's ass, then stroking upwards as he pulled almost out. He plunged in again, stroking and pulling out until the head of his cock almost left the asshole. Then plunging in again and stroking and pulling, building up a rhythm so intense that Gideon thought he was going to die. Matheson began to moan continuously under his breath. 

At that sound, Gideon lost all control and started to pound wildly into Matheson, his hand pumping Matheson's cock as wildly. Gideon felt the tension build up in his balls, exhilarating and painful. Matheson was shaking underneath him. 

He exploded, spewing himself deep inside Matheson’s ass. Matheson came a brief second later, spurting his juices over Gideon's hand and into the bed. They rocked together for a long glorious moment. 

Gideon let out a groan of complete surrender and his knees felt like water. He collapsed over top of Matheson, who was collapsed over the foot of the bed. 

"Yes, Yes, Yes," Gideon could only mumble repeatedly. 

"Yes…" Matheson responded, his voice hoarse and drained. 

Somewhere Gideon found the strength to drag the two of them onto the bed, and lay over top of Matheson, his softening cock still in Matheson's ass. 


	5. Sharing Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gideon and Matheson discuss their future - and how they aren't going to forget this happened this time.

**Part 5 - Sharing Dreams**

"Maybe only one position at a time is the right idea," Gideon murmured into Matheson's shoulder. 

"Mmm," was Matheson's reply from where his face was buried in the blankets. 

Gideon finally groaned and pulled out of Matheson, then lay against his side. "No going to sleep, Lieutenant." Gideon caressed the ear that was visible. 

"That's right," Matheson said, rolling over to his side so he faced Gideon, "You're that weird guy who doesn't like to sleep after sex." 

"That one," Gideon said, running his finger down Matheson's nose. Matheson then tucked himself under Gideon's chin and cuddled in against him. 

"Should have known," Matheson mumbled. "That the guy who deep-throated on his very first blowjob would manage a reach-around on his first fuck." 

"Ohh," Gideon said, shocked by what his uptight XO had just said. "I love it when you talk dirty." 

Gideon drew his fingers down Matheson's side. He caressed Matheson's hair and gathered together his courage. He tipped Matheson's face up so that he could look at him. "Lieutenant, will you do something for me?" 

"Again?" 

"No," Gideon laughed then sobered. He ran his fingers lightly across Matheson's forehead. "Will you share with me, just a little?" 

Matheson jerked his head away from Gideon's fingers, his body tensing. 

"Please," Gideon said softly. "Don't turn away. It doesn't have to be now, just whenever you're comfortable." 

Matheson remained stiff against him. 

Gideon fumbled to explain, "When you were asleep, I touched you. I know that you usually have shields up even when you're asleep, but we were so tired... 

"And when I touched you, I'm sorry, I know that I shouldn't have, but then you were having this terrible nightmare about the Earth dying, and you grabbed my hand and wouldn't let go. So I let you keep the hand and I just went to sleep right there, touching you. Having your dreams in the back of my mind felt so right, and I felt so alone when you woke up and shut me out." 

No reply. 

"I'm so sorry," Gideon said, the sweet afterglow of the sex fading. "I shouldn't have said anything. I am a jerk and always put my foot in it..." 

"It's okay," Matheson said softly, raising his eyes finally, "I'm sorry. It's just so... hard to trust. I'm not supposed to let anyone in, let alone my superior officer. And people are always wanting to take advantage of…" 

"You know that I would throw myself down a gravity well before I'd let you get hurt." 

"I know," Matheson's lips quirked in a tiny smile. 

"You've shared surface images with me, before, for years. And when you thought that other time was a dream, you scanned me three times, you said." 

Matheson flushed. "That was a huge breach." 

"And if Mr. Jones had… If I had lost my First Officer-If I had lost _you_ because of it, I would have never forgiven myself." Gideon struggled for the right words to banish that unhappy look from Matheson's face. "I don't think there's a more important relationship on a ship than a Captain and their XO. This is just making it stronger." 

Matheson's eyebrows shot up. "You mean telepathy or sex?" 

Gideon smiled. "Both." 

"That's an…unusual requirement for the Executive Officer/Captain relationship." 

"I'm an unusual Captain." 

"That's an understatement." 

"Hey!" Gideon protested, pleased that the shadow was leaving Matheson's eyes. "I get the job done." 

"Oh, you do…" Matheson said with a quiet laugh. He reached out with a hand. "May I show you?" 

"Yeah," Gideon said, though he was unsure what Matheson meant. 

Matheson touched Gideon's cheek. Gideon's eyes flew open wide as a memory came flooding into his mind. He felt and saw what Matheson experienced as Gideon plunged his cock into his ass and stroked his cock. 

"Whoa," Gideon said, arousal shooting through his body. "I'll have to try that myself." 

Matheson gave him a full smile. "I'd say 'I doubt it', but that got me in trouble on the bridge." 

"Good trouble, hopefully." 

"Oh, very good trouble." 

Gideon smiled in memory, smoothing Matheson's hair behind his ear. Matheson turned his head and kissed Gideon's fingers. 

Finally, Gideon sighed, running his finger down Matheson's cheekbone, "We can't ever do this again." 

Matheson's face grew serious. "I agree." 

"It could ruin both our careers." 

"Indeed." 

"There are good reasons why it's against regs to have... intimate relations with someone in your chain of command." 

"Excellent reasons." 

"So ...   
... Tomorrow night, my place?" 

"Absolutely." 

Gideon grinned at Matheson who grinned back. "I think I'm infecting you, Lieutenant. You never used to be such a gambler." 

"I like the stakes." 

"Oh, is that the slang for it?" Gideon teased, his fingers dancing down to Matheson's depleted cock. 

Matheson laughed and then frowned as if he had a sudden unpleasant thought. "Captain, what are we going to do next time about Mr. Jones, at his next sixth month visit? There is no way I will believe this all to have been a dream." 

"Screw Mr. Jones," Gideon said fiercely. 

Matheson raised his eyebrows. "Do you think that will work?" 

Gideon chuckled, rolling Matheson on his back and kissing him breathless. "Well, it certainly worked on me, and I'm known to be a hardass." 

Matheson grabbed Gideon's ass. "We will have to see how hard it is." 

"Yes," Gideon lay his head down next to Matheson's, and snuggled against him, "After a nap." 

"A nap? You've had over five hours sleep for the last three days, isn't that enough?" 

"You forget I'm an old man. I don't have your stamina." 

"Perhaps we might want to work on that." 

"Perhaps," Gideon smiled. 

Matheson hesitated then looked shyly at him. "Captain…" 

"Lieutenant," Gideon said with mock sternness. "I thought I told you to call me Matt, at least in private." 

"Yes, Matt, that's what I'm…" He started again. "If we're going to… And you want me to open my mind to you…" 

"Yes?" 

"Do you think you could call me 'John'?" 

Gideon chuckled. "Yeah, I think I can do that." 

Matheson's-_John's_ smile was luminous, like Gideon had just given him a gift. Gideon had to smile back, though it was him that had received the gift of trust. 

Without another word, Matheson-John turned himself on his side and burrowed against Gideon, his back against Gideon's chest. Gideon reached behind himself and pulled the blanket over both of them. He settled against John's back. 

Something tingled in the contact between them, then there was a tentative, almost shy touch from John's mind. A blur of sounds and images poured across Gideon's mind, too fast to catch. Gideon just soaked in the stream, in the connection. After a few minutes, the blur slowed and quieted, until it was only a soft warm hum at the back of Gideon's mind. John was asleep. 

Happiness bubbled up in Gideon's chest, painful in its intensity. He wrapped his arms around John, holding him tightly and closed his eyes. 


End file.
